186
i n tEiç o o n é c lo u a n c # o f be ww# we Bhmll .be im s t
c a r e f u l . . # n o te tb o t any g rp w # # b io Benmc o f GoUbeeU WM n o t th e g ro w th ojc a q g u iq itio n o f.
, yY/bat i c o f GoUhead does n o t g%*0W4; I t 1$ f%*qm E te r n ity to Eternity^»:** Qrq%#b ibelonga o n ly to cprporQ O l p e r s o n a lity ;, oncl i n h iç In c a r n a tio n th e Son o f God (Md n o t boGome f o r th e. f i r s t tim e p e r s o n a l b u t o n ly çoi% porèally peraonal'j, perGO nal w # f t # lim ite d
o o n d ltio n a w hloh in v o lv e grow th*"^ By t h l p p o s itio n
F o re y th en d eev o u re to e f f lr m th e r e a l i t y o f G h r ie tie
human g row th and y e t to .preêefV e i n t e g r i t y o f H ie
p o t e n t i a l Godhead;»
1 '%3?'ayth->, P* ,353.
3 lb i'4 * , p* . 204» ,0hl8 p,0$11:#M i s . ,att ..©âvcnee f-mra th e pp8i.tib.h; ta k e n in . P o b s y th ' s e a r l i e p woyk,
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p v o d u c i t o is .■ b y . t b e . ' : : S ô . u l * 8 . . i m % ' b I ■ c o . O ;s S l t b t . - . a i e n t * . A n d
tb e : gbt.#t .t# w # b 8 'y b b t o f a a i # b t '.d b a fb c tti' 'must, b 't \ a . l l 'o.f''b ,pieOe;',Wi't.h .th e pi»oC'ts't..wbicb' f b i b t d th e
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t i b ' : Whs i f fe e tea., by t be ' .b'oiaplbt tb@@t'. o f lii#. own ' '
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.Sn.; a c tf la l p a b s ip n / à f aW p,tfisbt'f .and ,Hi.S- .own,„t,btir8
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187
The q u 6 B tlo irw h iô h F o re y th th e n f a c e s i s .t h i s ;
w ould 1)01 such a com plete k en O sis and s o I f M d e n t i f i c a t i o n
w ith mOn in v o lv e, a'p erso n al'.ex x ^eri.o n o e of. m an 's sin ?
F o rs y th g iv e s two r e a s o n s why t i i i s in n o t so*? F i r s t #
O h ris t p o tu i.t- .non ■ neccana^» . ■ The. .d i s t i n c t i o n betw een p h y s ic a l and im ra l o im ip o témce updn w hich t h i s argum ent
: r e s t s i s -sim ila r to G o re 's àrg W eh t» ^ c h r i s t c o u ld
sin # b u t Ho "
sitoly
co.uld n o t* ?:?--.fo r lie \#s% hui#n;, . ' . .
"What i s t r u l y huiBaii I s n o t Bin# b u t th e pow er to b e tem p ted t o ' S - i n B e c a u s e Q h ris t was t r u e man he c o u ld be t r u l y tem p ted ; b o o au se he was tr u e God he c o u ld n o t
t r u l y s in ; b u t he was n o t l e s s tr u e man f o r th a t* " ^ T h is a in le s s n e ,s s is - b a s e d upon m p ral freedom # a p e r f e c t human re sp o n se to God' s lo v e % "He c o u ld be tem p ted b ecau se he lo v e d ; he c o u ld n o t s in b ec au se ha lo v e d
so deeply# w idely#, i n f i n i t e l y # , h o lily # b ecau se i t was
God he lo v e d ^ God more th a n man*"4 gsQond# F o rs y th
a rg u e s f o r an even b a s ic re a so n f o r d h r i a t 's
s in le s s n e s s » "The p o t u i t non neocafS r e s t s , (b u t i n no
f a tè d o r m eeh a n ic al Way) on th e non p o t u i t ; n e c c a re »
.* » WM # « I" II,III Î 1 11 i . . . ,
? • i ' ■ ' ■ ?
1 800 Gore# pp.* 1S2;~123*.
2 F o rsy th # . The F S b m n and p la c e o f J é s û s O h r is t# p# 301#
The
p h ra s e " sirAplycould
h o t" • • dpnoteS; ifho w r a lImperative ih cbhtr# tq^ the totaphysical
possibility
o f th e f i r s t "could"»3 Ib id # # p* 302» 4 Ib id y # p#
188
The ground o f b is I n a b i l i t y to s in d id n o t l i a i n th e immunity#: and alm o at n q o c sa ity # o f o n a tu re o r rank# b u t
in - th e m oral, e n t a i l # th e m oral ra v a rb ^ ra tiG n # ‘o f b is
g re a t# i n i t i a l # and in ô la s iV a a c t a t d r n a l in., tb o
haavans* H ia ro n u n o ia tiq n s on e a r th had b a h in d them
a l l the-,pow er o f t h a t o.otoenciious' r e n u n c ia tio n by w hich he Came to e a r th ; even a s h is e a r t h ly a c ts o f
in d iv id u a l fo rg iv e n e s s # b e fo re he oame to th e m iiv e rs a l fo rg iv e n e s s , o f c a lv a ry # had b e h in d them, th a t c r o s s
w hich he to o k up., when th e L ato w a s ,o la îh b e fo re th e fo u n d a tio n o f th e w o r l d # B u t w het o f H ie own m o rsi c o n f l i c t i f He t r u l y non m t u i t n e c c a re ? ■ "Y # to ,
h is own e x p e rie n c e th e m o ral c o n f l i c t was e n t i r e l y ■ r e a l# b e c a u se h is s e lf-e m p ty in g in c lu d e d an o b liv io n
of. t h a t I m p p s s ib ility o f sin * A n o p n sc io u sn e ss
a ro s e he waS: im v /ittln g ly - p r o te c te d from th o s e d e f le c tio n s in c id e n t to in e x p e rie n c e w hich w ould have d a # g e d h i s t o r a l judgem ent and developm ont when m a tu rity qame#"^
_ I p * A # # * * » # # # -
1 F o rsy th # The P erso n ..and .p iece ..of.,Jesus-. Q h ris t # p . 341# M ackintosh concurs;; "B ut w h ile H is a ssu ra n c e o f
vi.ctory:',can.:: n c y ç r \:have been m echanical# o r su ch a s to : d isp en se- Him f # $ 'v ig ila n c e # , c r v c f f o r t # o r
se a so n s p f ctepression# i t WUB none th e l e s s r e a l and, cp # % n d .i% . 'Thérë' :is ' no: r ççcoh:'wjf^.^His c o n s c io u s n e s s o f (,# ig u c in tim a c y -%#th..th0 F a th # » ; a n d o f th e
C ru cial;'im p o .rtan o e q f H is w t have
Im p crta d tp;'Je.suB , .i n ,'oaçh tem p tatio n # , a f ir m ly - ba'ged c o n fid e iic è ,'6f y iè to ry # t no ugh iw knew n o t i n ■
aÇY4nG.C''46w o r hbw soon th e f i n a l tr iU to h w ould be VO Up h -sa f e d » f ghC .PÇ rson o f J e s u s G h r is t,. p . 481.
189
The K63/ w o f O h ris t was t h a t a c t by whloli th e
Son o f QogI became man# As man He grew in wisdom and
s tr e n g th and re g a in e d th e p o s itio n He had bad o r ig in a lly * "The dim inuendo o f th e KenoBio w ont on p a r a l l e l w ith
th e cresO endo o f a v a s te r P iero o iB * " F o rs y th
p ro v id e s h is own summary o f th e K enotio p o s itio n in
. ' ' ' . - ; ' ' ' . ' '
term s o f Q h r i s t 's i n t e l l i g e n c e : "By h is own w i l l God i n O h ris t re d u c e d h i s i n t e l li g e n c e from b e in g a c tu a l to b e in g p o te n t i a l # w ith in th é kingdom o f power o r n a tu r e ; w h ile from t h a t p o t e n t i a l i t y # a s O h ris t grow i n g ra c o , i t d ev elo p ed and re g a in e d a c tu a l O m niscience by l i v i n g i t back# by th e m o ral way o f th e kingdom o f G race I t i l l he l e f t th e w o rld behind# to be d e term in ed a s th e Gon o f God i n power*
p*T» F o r s y th ' a K en o tic Theory m akes s e v e r a l new and im p o rta n t c o n tr ib u tio n s to K en o tic O h risto lo g y * F i r s t # he m ales an e n t i r e l y new ap p ro ach to th e whole
problem o f Q h ris to lo g ic #1 thlnlcing* He does n o t b e g in
s c i e n t i f i c a l l y # , a s d id th e o th e r K e n o tic is ts # u sin g
R eason a s th e s o le .ground -and iM thodology f o r h is th e o ry ; but, ra th e r" he b e g in s from w ith in th e f a i t h W ith th e
p e rs o n a l eacperiench o f redemption*,, T here i s no way in
'W hich .Reason*, n e r s e » ■ can re a c h t h i s p o in t o f
d e p a rtu re # y e t i t i s th e o n ly p la c e one can s t a r t i f
one I s t r u l y to u n d e rsta n d th e p e rso n o f O h rist* To
1 F o rsy th # The P erso n and P la c e o f J e s u s O h ris t # p*. 311*
190
rè W th ro u g h th e O ôspel ç f at» g e t t i n g in one
p ic tu r e th e 'w h o le sweep o f Q h r la t' S' l i f e # i e o n e - th in g ; b u t to re a d th ro u g h th é Q pSpel o f Bt*' Mark w ith th e
r i s e n O h ria t o u t hen 116 à t i n g Him Boif a s th e J é s u s o f h is to r y i s q u ite a n o th e r oxperiéneo#^ = F o rs y th s ta r ts : from th e l a t t e r p o s i t io b w hich i a more, th a n j u s t a
S ta r tin g p o in t ; . i t l à th e e k i a ta n tia l-o o m p le x o f s a lv a tio n # w hich in c lu d e s: b o th b e g in n in g and end#
U ndoubtedly o th e r le n o tio w r i t e r s have assum ed t h i s f e e t o f f a ith # b u t none o f them h as qvor u n d e rsto o d o r
u t i l i s e d th e in h e re n t p o t e n t i a l i t i e s o f such a p o s itio n #
à second o o n tr ih o tio n o f F o r s y th 's , th e o ry i s i t s
r e tu r n from th e 'Helj-eniQ- to th e H eb raic id e a o f D ivine-
Im m u ta b ility # m em p h asis upon " th e ç h a n g è le é sn e ss' o f